UN mourns passing of the Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka

March 5, 2018

Many of you will have heard the very sad news of the recent passing of our dear friend and colleague, Ms. Una McCauley, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sri Lanka.

Ms. McCauley’s funeral took place on 2nd March and included two beautiful memorials; one for UN staff and another for the members of the Government of Sri Lanka, for development partners, civil society and friends. The large crowds who attended both memorials attest to the number of people that Una McCauley touched during her life.

As the first female UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Ms. McCauley was a bold, inspiring, and strong leader. As the most senior UN Official in the country, Ms. McCauley led the UN Country Team of 21 Resident and Non-Resident UN Agencies and acted as the representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sri Lanka. She was a passionate and caring humanitarian, and dedicated her life to serve people of the world.

Ms. McCauley served in Sri Lanka for six years; two years as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, and prior to this, four years as the UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka. Previously, she was the UNICEF Representative for Panama and Togo, and worked at the UNICEF offices in Sudan, Kenya, and Angola. With 17 years of service within the United Nations System and an additional 7 years of service working with children in the development sector, Ms. McCauley was instrumental in developing policies and strategic frameworks on leading global issues in a number of countries.

A national of Ireland and the United Kingdom, Ms. McCauley, was the loving mother of two sons.

The United Nations family will miss her dearly, especially her sense of humour, humility, passion, energy, and unwavering commitment to make lives better for all. Our deepest condolences are shared with her family.